Vanessa Carlton and The Politics of Idols

I think this blog is where I’m going to talk about the music I love— the artists, the genres, the lineage of influence among other writers. But frankly, where I should probably begin is with my favorite artist of all time— Vanessa Carlton. This is a complicated issue for me, because I follow Vanessa on Instagram and have been watching her stories. And while she’s been my hero for years, I have some worries.

Part of me wants to claim that our politic views shouldn’t influence the artists we love. Maybe even, shouldn’t influence the art we love. Roland’s term “death of the author” is about erasing an author’s intentions from a piece of work to look at a text more “objectively.” But we’re humans, and objectivity is an ever-moving horizon that no one ever reaches. We can try to be objective about art, but human beings are social creatures. We all get influenced. That’s the nature of living, bro.

So, when we discuss an artists’ political views, and whether those things should be taken into account when evaluating their art, online discourse is split. Some people say that people should be held responsible for their politics. And some people claim that having a “correct set” of political views can actually obscure a wider conversation that we should always be having. Politics is about policy, about how we decide to move about the world. And if the general public decides you have the “correct” opinion, then that is the politics we have taken up. A politic of correct conversation.

I am not trying to say artists should avoid accountability. I preface all of this because Vanessa Carlton, again, one of my idols, has been posting Instagram stories about what’s going on in Gaza. And she has made some comments that have made me really upset. I don’t know what to do about it. It’s not like I think she’s a bad person, but this specific political moment is extremely violent, and I personally think that her going defensive on behalf of Israel is hurtful and inhumane. She has a different relationship with Judaism than I do, and I understand that. For weeks, though, I have been wondering why the Vanessa Carlton I have adored for the last 13 years has turned against an obviously horrifying situation. I guess when you feel so attached to an artist, their actions feel like they represent you; like a parent saying something horrifying at a barbecue in front of their kids.

So, when I talk to you about how I adore Vanessa Carlton’s music, I want you to know that I am wrestling with this. This is a personal battle, and nobody should harass her. I am having a personal struggle with her relationship to me in a musical-lineage kind of way.

How did Carlton influence me? When I was ten years old, and I listened to music on Pandora (remember Pandora?), one of her songs came on the radio rotation. It was from Heroes & Thieves, a song called “Home.” And it was the first time I sat in my room and felt something unworldly.

I begged my parents for piano lessons, and I dug out a keyboard from the garage, and I searched for sheet music for the song. That search took me to this old forum, Nessaholics, which were full of people like me obsessed with her music. I couldn’t tell you what compelled me, but after learning “Home” and “A Thousand Miles” on this rinky-dink keyboard, my parents caved for piano lessons, which I took for a year. I began writing my own music right away. I learned guitar on my own, continued practicing piano on Vanessa songs only until I got a good enough handle on music structure to write my own music. And by the time I was thirteen, I was going to open mics and performing my own original music.

And as I grew, so did Vanessa’s music. Rabbits on the Run changed my brain chemistry-- I listen to it all the time. And then Liberman came out during one of the hottest summers of my college career. For years, the piano version of “Nothing Where Something Used to Be” was my phone’s ringtone. And then, Love is An Art came out the year my dad was dying, during 2020. I struggle to listen to it sometimes, because I would journal my grief while listening to the record late at night after my family had gone to sleep. Her relationship to her music is personal, and I don’t take influence from her in terms of sound or songwriting style or even content-wise. But she is like an old friend, a mentor and guide in the actual artwork of writing music.

When I say she’s my favorite artist of all time, this is what I mean. The slow maturation of her music shows an artist who is willing to try something new, who makes art to feed her soul above all else, and who clearly has not become complacent with her own expectations of herself. She’s having fun, she’s thinking hard, she’s willing to be wrong. I take a lot of inspiration from her. I have followed most of my favorite artists during the years, and haven’t agreed with all their artistic choices. But Carlton hasn’t missed yet, and I hope she continues to outdo herself.

Her politics have made me stop, though. This is truly the moment where you decide what your relationship is going to be with an artist you love. It’s not her responsibility to change her mind because I (as a fan) demand it. No. That would be an irresponsible expectation to place on her. But I support Palestine because I have seen what they’re going through. I have looked at the UN documents. And I am normally suspicious of any institution that launches a disproportionate attack on civilians of another country for the actions of a few. It’s the way the U.S. handled itself in Afghanistan after 9/11 that makes me feel most ashamed of my place here, in this country. And I don’t think it’s an unreasonable comparison.

Is it possible to be defensive and be wrong? Is it possible to admire someone when they say something inhumane about dying people? Is it possible to make art and ignore the politics, when politics is the act of deciding how you’re going to move about the world and art is your expression of your existence in the world? Aren’t those two things holding hands? The answers are yes. But is it responsible to ignore the politics? No. It’s not.

I won’t feel guilty about my love for Vanessa Carlton’s music, and I will still recommend it to others. Maybe less. Maybe the next album will reflect more of these sentiments she’s posted about. But it’s hard for me to listen to “Die Dinosaur” and imagine that Carlton defending Israel now.

Your art and your politics are similar. They are not the same. Having a personal relationship with those two is vital in order to make honest, good art. You have to know yourself. And I know what my personal views are, and I regularly question them. And I have considered Vanessa’s side, as a fellow musician and a lifelong admirer. And, if given the opportunity to talk to her about it, I’m confident she would do the same for me without labeling my views as violent or anti-Semitic. But for now, since we’re not on speaking terms, I admire her work— and will have to grapple with how much less she means to me. I will continue to make my art, continue to listen to hers, and have to hold both my admiration and my disappointment in the same palm.